• Loading stock data...
Sunday, April 20, 2025

Valkyries Make Natalie Nakase First Female Asian American WNBA Head Coach 

  • The expansion franchise named Nakase its first head coach.
  • She is the first female Asian American head coach in league history.
Natalie Nakase
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Golden State Valkyries continue to make waves a year before they’re officially welcomed into the WNBA.

The franchise announced Thursday that Natalie Nakase would be its first head coach, making her the first female Asian American head coach in league history. Nakase, who is of Japanese descent, had been an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces since 2022 and won back-to-back titles under head coach Becky Hammon.

In 2014, Hammon was the first woman to be named an assistant coach in the NBA by the Spurs. Though Hammon was technically the ceiling-breaking hire, Nakase beat her to becoming the answer to a trivia question when she became the first woman to sit on an NBA bench that summer when she served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers’ Summer League team.

She totaled 10 years with the Clippers organization, going from intern to assistant with the G League all the way up to assistant coach to Tyronn Lue. Before joining the Clippers, Nakase, 44, was a head coach in the top German women’s pro league and a men’s assistant in Japan.

As a player, Nakase became the first Asian American woman to play in the now-defunct National Women’s Basketball League from 2005 to 2006. She played college basketball at UCLA for four years.

The Valkyries will make their debut as the WNBA’s 13th franchise next season. The expansion franchise was announced last October, with Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber paying a $50 million fee for the team. 

In July, two months after the franchise unveiled its name and logo, the team announced it had sold a woman’s pro sports record 15,000 season-ticket deposits.

The ticket sales record came despite the Valkyries being months away from knowing a single player on their roster. The WNBA expansion draft for the Valkyries, the league’s first in 16 years, is scheduled on Dec. 7

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Mar 13, 2020; Augusta, GA, USA; The front entrance at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Friday morning. The Masters Tournament has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
opinion

What’s It Like to Play Augusta? A Day on the World’s Most..

Inside a round at the most exclusive club in the world.
Dec 9, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) watches as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after making a three point basket to clinch a win against the Toronto Raptors near the end of the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena

Same Owner, New Knicks: New York’s Remarkable Rebound

The franchise’s renaissance didn’t happen overnight.
Kendrick Lamar

Drake Lawsuit Says Kendrick Lamar Defamed Him At Super Bowl

Drake says taking out the word “pedophile” didn’t erase the defamation.

Featured Today

Masters

Why The Masters Quietly Cracked Down on Ticket Resellers

Insiders expect big changes are coming to ticketing at Augusta National.
exclusive
April 16, 2025

Inside Nico Iamaleava’s Ugly Breakup With Tennessee

Iamaleava’s representatives claim to FOS he didn’t push for more NIL money.
Jul 29, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France center Dominique Malonga (14) and guard Marine Johannes (23) celebrate after defeating Canada during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy
April 13, 2025

‘Has to Change’: The WNBA’s International Player Problem

As more global stars arrive, the “prioritization” rule is causing tension.
Yamine Lamal Barcelona
April 12, 2025

Lamine Yamal: The Pressure and Price of Barcelona’s Young Prodigy

Lamine Yamal is a teenage superstar. Can Barcelona afford him?
UFL

UFL and Players Union Agree to New CBA, Pending Board Approval

Players say the new deal gives them wins on wages and healthcare.
April 18, 2025

Golf’s Other Majors Won’t Follow Masters Lead in Banning Phones

Phone intrusions at past majors have led to strong reactions from golfers.
April 18, 2025

NHL Breaks Attendance Record for Third Straight Season

More than 23 million hockey fans attended games this season.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
April 17, 2025

UFL Dealing With Challenges Three Weeks Into Second Season

The spring football league is in its second season.
Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
April 17, 2025

Thunder, Cavs Are NBA Title Contenders on a Budget—for Now

The NBA playoffs tip off this weekend.
Kim Ng
April 17, 2025

Kim Ng Is Trying to Crack Pro Softball’s Toughest Problem

Ng’s new task is translating the popularity of college softball to pros.
April 17, 2025

WNBPA Matches NBA’s 3-Point Contest Prize. Will Caitlin Clark Join?

The 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend will be in Indianapolis.